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The next time winter rears its ugly head be ready with our fantastic Adult Snow Day game plan. Also this week we've got the story on "The Roommate" at Portland Stage, a Bar Guide review of Emilitsa, a Face the Music preview of a local Dolores O'Riordan tribute show, the debut of our new beer column Tap Lines, concert previews and so much more. Have at it!

About The Author

Bob Keyes

Bob Keyes has written about the arts in Maine since 2002. He’s never been much an artist himself, other than singing in junior high school chorus and acting in a few musicals. But he’s attended museums, theaters, clubs and concert halls all his life, and cites Bob Dylan as most influential artist of any kind since Picasso. He lives in Berwick.

Bold colors will be on display at the Maine Photography Show

Marc Muench’s first impression is that Maine photographers don’t settle for the obvious shot. The juror for the Maine Photography Show, Muench looked at more than 900 photos from about 300 artists.

He came away impressed.

“What I saw was a great group of thinkers, and by that I mean they are people who have not done the easiest, first thing that came to mind,” said Muench, a third-generation landscape photographer from California.

The theme for this year’s show is Primary Color Landscape. It opens Saturday and continues through May 5 at Boothbay Region Art Foundation, 1 Townsend Ave., Boothbay Harbor.

The primary color theme lent itself to the Maine landscape, which is full of color year-round, he said. “In Maine, there are a lot of red barns, and you can easily go out and get the blue sky, red barn and green grass. I saw a lot of those – and lighthouses. But not everybody did that – and some who did it, did it exceptionally well.”

Judging so many photos is difficult. Muench couldn’t afford to dwell. If a photo didn’t draw him right away, he set it aside. The photos that intrigued him got a second and third look — sometimes more.

It’s an unscientific process, based on a combination of experience and instinct, he said.

Muench conducts photography classes and workshops around the world and has taught in Maine, including at Acadia National Park. Ella Hudson, a Portland photographer, met him there and was impressed with his ability to offer kind critiques. “He never looks at your stuff and says, ‘What were you thinking?’ He’s very encouraging,” said Hudson, who is on the Maine Photography Show organizing committee.

Hudson is pleased to see so much interest in the show. This is the 12th year, and it’s grown not only in size, but also in quality, she said.

With more than 300 entrants, the show is bound to disappoint some photographers whose work was not selected. But people shouldn’t be discouraged, Hudson said.

“I started as just entering, like everybody else does. It’s an honor to get it in,” she said. “Sometimes you do, sometimes you don’t.”